Oh I’m sorry to hear about your coconut allergy! That said, from what I’ve read and heard, most people who are allergic to coconut are allergic to the protein in the coconut meat. The protein isn’t present in the oil so it should be safe.

But, of course, everyone has their own level of sensitivity, so obviously you should avoid it if you are sensitive! The coconut oil helps set the chocolate fast on the ice cream cone, as well as thin it out. But if you can’t use it, I’m sure melted chocolate will do. Just make sure the ice cream is really cold/stick the cone in the freezer for a little bit before eating it!

Isn’t the coconut oil what makes it harden? How would it work w/o the coconut oil and what can you use in place of it? We don’t have any allergies in my family, but we do have a couple of people who simply don’t like the taste.

So the coconut oil actually “thins” the chocolate shell and gives it a bit more “snap” when you use it. You can use regular chocolate but it will be more thick and clumpy. You could try melting butter and using that in place of the coconut oil. The shell might be a little softer and not quite as “hard and snappy” but I’ve been told it works as well.

You can also try to track down some refined coconut oil. I’m not a fan of it because of the chemicals that they use to refine the oil, but refining the coconut oil takes out a lot of the flavor and odor of the coconut.

I haven’t tried it with other chocolates, but I imagine it would. Milk chocolate or even white chocolate would probably work. The coconut oil really thins out the chocolate so it’s not super thick when you spoon it over the ice cream and since coconut oil hardens at 76˚F it totally helps the chocolate to harden fast.

If you try it with different chocolates, let me know your results! I’m a dark chocolate person myself so…

This is FABULOUS. Not just because it’s innovative and different — but it does what words can’t … it is so nice to see what the intermediate steps are supposed to look like … it’s not just a gimmick – there’s real value. And it was Laugh Out Loud to see that first photo of AJ. =)

You should forward to the Chronicle so they can add a link to their article!

Whoops! Sorry. I just instigated the Captcha because of the insane amount of spam. Since launching my new site about a month ago, I’ve had over 300 spam comments. That should be fixed so if you have to do the Captcha again, and get it right, it’ll get published automatically.

This would be great with the So Delicious coconut milk ice cream! It would make it vegan too (as long as you got vegan chocolate to melt).

You can only taste a hint of the coconut in the coconut oil (I use unrefined – if you use refined coconut oil, there’s not coconut flavor at all). But with the coconut milk ice cream, you’d definitely get great layers of coconut flavor.

Can’t decide which “eating” photo I love most. They’re all so cute. I think I love the one of your friend in glasses gazing far off into the distance, as if the ice cream is helping him think intensely profound thoughts. Or maybe there was a bird outside the window. Or maybe he was just trying to take as big of a bite as possible. LOL.

Do you think it would work to melt it all in a double boiler type thingy…I do not (will not) own a microwave??? If so..can’t wait to buy some gf cones and df ice cream (or make it). Yeah, with nuts and make a drumstick version!
Love the blue glasses : )
Thanks : )

Yes, definitely! The reason I used a microwave was mostly to simplify the recipe. Explaining a double boiler via photographs would be more difficult, and not as many people are familiar with double boilers. Everyone knows how to use a microwave (even if they don’t own one).

But yes, a double boiler TOTALLY would work. You just need to have something that will melt the chocolate and coconut oil. And nuts and sprinkles would be great on it!

I just recently did a post about what I think of as the ‘Original’ hard shell topping for ice cream, Gold Brick Topping. Available only in small markets near where it’s produced, I’ve craved it since I was a kid and it was served at a restaurant I went to with my mom. It’s a combination of butter and chocolate (and pecans) which I love but this looks great and different..nothing wrong with some coconut and chocolate.

I grew up in St. Louis, and I have vague memories of Gold Brick Topping and definite memories of Stix, Baer and Fuller! I was never a huge fan of nuts on my ice cream, but I do have fond memories of Dairy Queen and their dipped cones, as well as magic shell coating, thus this post.

This so reminds me of my childhood!!!
Outside our school by the gates, there was always this guy a.k.a. “Manong” who sells dirty ice cream. For 5 pesos, you can buy a cone of assorted flavor usually cheese, chocolate and vanilla. Manong using his spade expertly shaped it into rose and dipped it into this chocolately mixture just like this one but only thinner. The rose shaped ice cream would be blanketed with this thin crisp chocolate mixture perfect for after school dessert! 😀

Hi Irvin, found you through Twitter. Absolutely dig your Wordless Recipe concept, looking forward to more. I’m a sucker for this chocolate shell ice cream (sadly from McDonalds) and now I can make my own. Great stuff!

If you can’t do the ready-made cones (because of gluten or simply by choice), something else to try is making a chocolate bowl for your ice cream… (I haven’t personally tried this, but a friend of mine was studying to be a professional chef, and made this for my dessert when she cooked me dinner one time.)

Blow up a small balloon, dip it in melted chocolate (maybe a few times?), and place on a parchment-coated cookie sheet in the freezer. When the chocolate is set, pop the balloon and remove it, but keep the bowl frozen until ready to serve.

The brand Let’s Do Organic, which are the ice cream cones I used, makes a gluten free ice cream cone.

That said, I’ve totally made ice cream bowls in the manner you’ve suggested. They are surprisingly easy and super fun to make (and impressive to whomever you are serving them to). You don’t need to dip it several times, but just make sure there’s enough chocolate on all sides to form a large enough “bowl”. Also make sure to not use too large a balloon, and to let chocolate chill long enough to solidify before popping the balloon.

Well, you are just so creative and clever and funny, Irvin–all that and charming, to. I am blown away by this! AND the recipe actually looks like something I would really enjoy making and eating. Now the trick is–can you do a recipe for Devil’s Food cake or perhaps buttercream-filled French macarons without words?

I am so happy to see how to REALLY do this. Many years ago as a young bride I tried to make hot fudge sauce for my husband. I didn’t have the right ingredients so I substituted somethings. It wound up hardening in the bowl, cementing the spoon to the bottom and the ice cream melted underneath. I have never lived that down. I am happy to report that it remains my worst kitchen disaster ever, so I haven’t done that bad over the years.

Hi Carolyn. If you go back and look at the photos in the post, you’ll notice that they themselves are the recipe. Just follow the step-by-step photos to create the magic chocolate shell. If you need to, you can download a PDF of the photos to print out and use in your kitchen. The link to download the PDF is at the bottom of my post.

As for the flavored hard shells, I am afraid I do not have a recipe for those. My guess is that they use a combination of coconut oil, edible wax and artificial flavorings, which I usually try to avoid and would be difficult to recreate in the home kitchen. However, if you come across a recipe online for those, please come back and share it with me!

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I can’t tell the sizes of your measuring spoons. The closer one looks like it is a tablespoon but I can’t tell with the second and I can’t read it in the photo. Help a poor-sighted gal out?

Is it possible to store any leftovers (as unlikely as that probably is)? Or would it go bad and/or harden? I thought it would be nice to make a larger batch to keep on hand for my husband instead of having to make it each time he wanted ice cream. But that might not be possible.

Howdy would you mind letting me know which web host you’re working with?

I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most.
Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider
at a reasonable price? Cheers, I appreciate it!

Follow Me On

“My goodness, this cookbook! It’s filled to the brim with recipes for the most splendidly beautiful cakes, cookies, breads, and tarts I think I’ve ever seen. My eyes kept getting wider and wider as I turned every page—both the flavor combinations and the photos are out of this world. Irvin Lin has most definitely outdone himself. This book is a triumph!”
—REE DRUMMOND, New York Times best-selling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

“Irvin Lin gives home-baked treats a twist, ramping them up with a range of contemporary flavors that are sure to surprise and delight. From beer-battered brownies to smoky butterscotch taking a classic cake to the next level, I can’t wait to mix, stir, and bake my way through Marbled, Swirled, and Layered!”
—DAVID LEBOVITZ, author of My Paris Kitchen

Subscribe via Email

The Baker, Writer, Recipe Maker

Hey there! Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm Irvin Lin, an IACP-Award winning photographer, award winning baker, award winning graphic designer, storyteller, recipe developer, writer and average joe bon vivant. Hilarity often ensues when I'm involved. I currently reside in San Francisco in the neighborhood people have recently taken to calling "The Gastro" - a block from Dolores Park and right near Tartine Bakery, Bi Rite Market & Creamery, and Delfina.

I can also be found at various food events around the city. Feel free to contact me by clicking on that picture of me up above or emailing me eatthelove {at} gmail {dot} com.

Search Eat the Love

“Irvin Lin is the creative mind behind his Eat the Love food blog. Lin’s impressive photography skills support his training in graphic design on the site, and you would never believe that is food blogger is a self-taught baker.” - PBS Food

“We love Eat the Love because Irvin's beautiful sweets look as good as they taste — his art director's eye appreciates the ruby sparkle of a pile of pomegranate seeds against the matte canvas of chocolate ganache.”
- Saveur.com, Sites We Love

“Lin, a designer and baker, shares his passion for baking with creative sweets that focus on seasonal ingredients with healthy doses of humor and charm. It's impossible not to read his site and crave dessert.”
- Yum Food & Fun Magazine

Rotating Favorite Photographers

Disclaimer

This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. I only recommend products (usually cookbooks, but sometimes ingredients or equipment) that I use and love, not for any compensation unless otherwise noted in the blog post. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the book or item of your choice.